1776 Badge at Find A Grave

Find A Grave has created a special badge to indicate service in the American Revolution. 

1776 Badge at Find A Grave
for those who served in the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783

I checked on some ancestors.

Charles Marsh was my fifth great grandfather. He resided in Essex County, New Jersey in the area of Elizabethtown and Westfield. (These are now in Union County.) He lived long enough to apply for a pension. In his affidavit, Charles described participation in battles throughout his area. He first volunteered in June 1776 in the Infantry of the Militia of New Jersey. He fought at the Battle of Springfield and Connecticut Farms in June of 1780.

The memorial page of Charles Marsh already had the 1776 badge when I visited.

Memorial page of Charles Marsh (1755-1833)
Buried in the Presbyterian Church Burial Grounds
Westfield, Union County, New Jersey

Cover page
Pension papers of Charles Marsh

The memorial page of Conrad Hopler, my sixth great grandfather, was lacking the 1776 badge but now has one after my edit request. He lived in Morris County, New Jersey and fought with Arnold's Light Horse Troop.

Memorial page of Conrad Hopler (1730-1814)
buried at First Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey

Book mentioning members of the Morris County, New Jersey Light Horse Troop.
Does anyone know where I might find this "original enlistment paper"?

George Taylor, my sixth great grandfather, was also lacking the 1776 badge, but that was remedied. George lived in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He lived long enough to file for a pension. 

Memorial page of George Taylor (1756-1835)
Buried in Holmdel Cemetery
in Holmdel, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Suggest an Edit page Find A Grave
George Taylor (1756-1835)

Cover page of George's pension papers.
This paper is a tertiary source of his date of death.

Simeon Rockefeller was my seventh great grandfather. He served as a private in Colonel Henry Livingston's Regiment New York Militia. His memorial did not have the badge for a veteran "V" and did not have the 1776 badge. I requested that these be added, but as of this writing, they have not.

Memorial page for Simeon Rockefeller (1730-1795).
He was born in what is now Germany, not New York.

Index card for the service records
of Simeon Rockefeller or Rockenfeller,
Livingston's Regiment New York Militia.

You can find some Revolutionary War service records at Fold3.

Private Charles Y Cook, Civil War Veteran 1833-1913

Charles Cook (1833-1913) was born in Morris County, New Jersey to Stephen H Cook and Elizabeth Vanderhoof. He served in the Civil War (1861-1865) with Company L, 27th New Jersey Infantry from September 1862 through July 1863 for a total of nine months.

Various Acts enabled Charles to file for a pension and increases. The pages in this packet reveal further information about the family. I was hoping that his pension would help link him to his great grandfather, Conrad Hopler, but not so. The issue at this point in the research is finding documentation that Charles' mother, Elizabeth Vanderhoof, was the daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. Conrad Hopler, who served in the Revolutionary War, was the father of Ann.

If you can obtain an application for a pension for service in a war, you should do so. Anything could be in that file.

This pension record was ordered through Civil War Records. The price was $110 and the turn-around time was one month. The actual pages are in the custody of the National Archives.

Family tree showing Charles Y Cook (1833-1913),
his siblings, parents, and grandparents

Charles died of dysentery after a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 11, 1913. He attended a fiftieth commemoration and died of an infection he survived fifty years earlier during the War. He was honorably discharged on July 2, 1863, which was in the middle of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg. His papers do not list this location or Battle as one that he participated in.

Death certificate of Charles Y Cook
died July 11, 1913 in Denville, Morris County, New Jersey.
Available in person or through the mail via New Jersey State Archives.

Charles Cook was buried with his wife, Sarah Merritt, at the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.

Jody visiting the grave of Charles Y Cook (1833-1913) and his wife, Sarah Merritt (1842-1909).
First Presbyterian Church, Rockaway, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026

This cemetery is where Conrad Hopler (1730-1816) has a gravestone. I am seeking documentation that Conrad Hopler is a great grandparent of Charles Y Cook.

Jody visiting the grave of Conrad Hopler (1730-1816).
First Presbyterian Church, Rockaway, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026

Stephen Cook and Elizabeth Vanderhoof married in 1819. They had at least five children:

-Ann M Cook (1820-1868), married Jesse Lee (1818-1888)

-Silas Cook (1825-????) (only mentioned in the books of Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson)

-Calvin Cook (1826-1889), married Mary Neil (1830-1898)

-William Henry Cook (1828-1902), married Emeline Young (1834-1906)

-Charles Y Cook (topic of this article)

Five children of Elizabeth Vanderhoof and Stephen Cook
identified by Ms Hickerson in her book, Vanderhoof.

I am missing at least one source of Ms Hickerson's research. I have found nothing about Silas Cook, born March 3, 1825, outside her mention.

Charles was able to claim a pension in 1890 because of service-related disability and in 1907 because he lived long enough. A card index exists. Charles has two different cards. The one at Ancestry reflects only the 1890 claim for disability. The card at Fold3 reflects both claims.

Pension card for Charles Y Cook
U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
at Ancestry

Pension card for Charles Y Cook
US, Civil War Pensions Index, 1861-1900. NARA T289. Fold3.

Pension file of Charles Y Cook
Civil War
"alleges that at Newport News [Virginia] about Feb 20, 1863 he contracted rheumatism in back and hip."

The family bible is mentioned in Charles' sworn statement from 1904. "He having been born on the 27 day of August eighteen hundred and thirty three- that his mother's family bible which is in the possession of his brother's widow contains the entry of which the following is a copy." This would have been Emeline Young (1834-1906), widow of William Cook. They had at least ten children. Who received the bible of Elizabeth Vanderhoof? I need it.

Pension file of Charles Y Cook. He mentioned his birthdate as written in his mother's family bible.

Charles clarified his name. "He always understood that he was named after a relative Charles Youmans by name but that his mother did not use the 'Y' in naming him and that he only took up the use of the 'Y' himself after reaching the age of twenty years and [illegible] did so in order to distinguish himself from others having the name of 'Charles Cook'."

First, thank you, Charles, for realizing that so many men bearing the name Charles Cook would confuse researchers for centuries. This has been my experience in researching COOKs.

Second, thank you for clarifying that you used the middle initial 'Y' and the middle name 'Youmans' and that this name was a relative's name.

Who was Charles Youmans? Charles Elmer Youmans (1809-1864) married Anna Cook (1808-1897), a paternal aunt of the younger Charles Youmans Cook.

1860 federal census
Charles Y Cook living with his mother, Elizabeth Cook [born Vanderhoof],
in Rockaway Township, Morris County, New Jersey.
By this time Charles had started using his middle initial.

Charles Cook using his middle name Youmans.
Rev. D. E. Platter (compiler), Historical Manual of the Rockaway Presbyterian Church (Trenton, New Jersey: Wm. S. Sharp, printer and stereotyper, 1880), 5.

Charles explained his family of creation. He married Sarah Lavinia Merritt in 1861. They had at least five children. I'm not sure if they had two sons named George Cook.

Charles Y Cook's listing of his wife and children

The children of Charles Cook and Sarah Merritt were: Laura, Mary, George, Phebe, and Samuel.

In First Presbyterian Church Cemetery with Charles and Sarah is a stone for George, engraved with a date of death January 6, 1866, aged two years, three days. This would give a birth around January 1864. So Mary could not have been born May 12, 1864. The pension lists George's birthdate as October 4, 1866. This could be a second son named George Cook, named after the baby who just died. There was no child named George living with this family in the 1870, so perhaps the second George also died early. Or there was only one. This remains unclear.

Sarah Merritt was also a Wiggins descendant. More research is needed on Wiggins. She and Charles Cook were probably cousins.

Family tree of Sarah Lavinia Merritt showing ancestors and her children with Charles Y Cook

Daniel A Wiggins submitted an affidavit to support Charles Y Cook's application for an invalid pension. His age was listed, which is not usually seen in older records. Looks like 47 or 49 years old in 1891. This could be David Alvin Wiggins (1845-1927). He was a second cousin of Sarah Merritt, sharing great grandparents Jonathan Wiggins (1763-1815) and Phebe Fordham (1764-1851).

Affidavit of John B Cox and Daniel A Wiggins
in support of an invalid pension for Charles Y Cook

Charles wrote his occupation (brakeman, unable to perform because of illnesses contracted from war) and residences. He lived in Brooklyn, New York from 1884-1888. This explains the birth in Brooklyn of his granddaughter, Laura Bidgood (1884-1952), and his appearance in the Brooklyn city directories.

"then in Brooklyn, NY from 1884 to 1888 . . ."

"4 years in Brooklyn from 1884 to 1888 all the rest of time in Rockaway Township, Morris County, New Jersey."

1887-1888 Brooklyn, New York city directory
Charles Y Cook, weigher, 248 South Second.
Weigher was an attempted occupation of Charles Y Cook following the Civil War.

-We still do not have a record supporting that Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler were the parents of Elizabeth Vanderhoof, wife of Stephen Cook.

-What other sources was Ms Hickerson using in her research of Vanderhoof and Cook in Morris County, New Jersey?

-Where is the family bible of Elizabeth Vanderhoof? In 1904 it was in the custody of Emeline Young (1834-1906), widow of William Cook.

Thank you, Charles Youmans Cook, for your service during the Civil War.

Tangled Family Lines at First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Rockaway, New Jersey

On May 9, 2026 I visited the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey. It was a rainy day, so the stones were darkened. I prefer overcast, dry days for cemetery visits, but this is how the schedule worked out.

This is an active church and cemetery. This is their website.

I saw some Wiggins stones. More articles on Wiggins are coming.

Jody at grave of Daniel G Wiggins (1827-1895) and wife Phebe Belcher (1830-1888).
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Daniel Gard Wiggins (1827-1895) was a granduncle of Sarah Lavinia Merritt (1842-1909), wife of Private Charles Youmans Cook (1833-1913). Charles was the reason for this visit.

Elizabeth Minton (1822-1901) and husband Jonathan Wiggins (1820-1877).
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Jody at the Cook/Merritt graves.
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Here's the stone of Catherine Shaw (1825-1891). She was the first wife of Nicholas Keating (1825-1898). After Catherine's death, Nicholas remarried to Mary Neil (1830-1898), my third great-grandmother. Finding this marriage lead to discovering the names of her parents. 

Jody at the grave of Catherine Shaw (1825-1891),
wife of Nicholas Keating.
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Tangled lines: Catherine Shaw was a granddaughter of Conrad Hopler (1730-1816), making her a first cousin, once removed of Mary Neil's first husband, my third great-grandfather, Calvin Cook (1826-1889).

Ledley's Vanderhoef Book

There is another family history book written about the Vanderhoof family. It was written by Wilson V Ledley (1913-1978) and published in 1959. Vanderhoef Family. The First Five Generations.

You can find it on The Internet Archive.

Ledley begins with Generation One, the couple Cornelis Van Der Hoeve and Geertje Van Fulpen. In 1661, Geertje, a widow, arrived in New Amsterdam (now called New York City) with her six children, Generation Two.

Ledley tentatively places Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) as a son of Dirck Vanderhoff (baptized 1746). [Ledley wrote the wrong century for Dirck's baptism.] [Also, the spelling as "Vanderhoof" and "Vanderhoff" were interchanged throughout Ledley's work.] Ledley identified one other son of Dirck Vanderhoff and Catrina, Peter (baptized 1772).

Generation Five: Peter Vanderhoff and Jacob Vanderhoff
Wilson V Ledley. Vanderhoef Family. The First Five Generations. 1959.

175. PETER VANDERHOFF, son of Dirck (#54), was baptised
at Pompton on Sep 20, 1772. In the Census of 1800
at Goshen in Orange County, New York, there is listed a Peter
Van der Hoff, aged 26-45, wife same, son and daughter under
10 and other unidentified females in the household who may
have been his wife's relations. She, from the one baptismal
record at hand, was Jude SMITH and they had:

    250. Elizabeth, b. 9 Feb 1797, pb. Pompton Dutch Church

176. JACOB VANDERHOFF, supposed son of Dirck (#54) was
born 1771-72 from his grave in Morris County (GMNJ
7:7). The only basis of assigning Jacob as a son of Dirck is

the naming of his presumed first son Peter probably after the

boy's uncle above, but this is at best only tentative. He

had been married by the Morris County Clerk (GMNJ 4:31) to

Anne HOPLAR on Jan 23, 1796, who died Feb. 27, 1841 in her

69th year. Their presumed son:

    251. PETER (sup.), b. 1797-98, d. 17 Apr 1847 in his 50th

year; wife Rachael d. 12 Nov 1850 in her 50th

year; their graves listed following those above.

Generation Four: Dirck Vanderhoff

54. DIRCK VANDERHOFF, son of Jacob (#20), was baptised
at Pompton on May 30, 1946[sic]. From the baptism of

Peter below, we know his wife's name was Catrina, but her

surname has not been discovered. The only basis for assign-

ing Jacob as a son of Dirck is the naming of the latter's

presumed son Peter possibly after his uncle, but his is at

best extremely tenuous, particularly since no will nor pro-

bate records have been found. Children were:

    175. PIETER, bp. 20 Sep 1772 Pompton, sp. Pieter & Sara Jongh

    176. JACOB (sup.), b. 1771-72 (grave record)

Ledley referenced two sources for Jacob Vanderhoof: a grave stone transcription and a marriage record to Anne Hoplar. I visited the DeMouth Burial Ground in Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey. Below is a picture of the worn stones. Peter Vanderhoof (1797-1847), the only conjectured child in Ledley's work, is buried next to his parents.

DeMouth Burial Ground
Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

Morris County, New Jersey Marriages
Jacob Vandroff and Anne Hoplar married January 25, 1796

Ledley did not mention Jacob's baptism. Jacob was baptized in Paramus, Bergen County, New Jersey. His date of birth was written as February 13, 1774. His parents were Dirk Vanderhoef and Catriena.

Jacob, born February 13 [1774],
child of Dirk Vanderhoef and Catriena.
Baptisms at the Dutch Reformed Church in Paramus, New Jersey.

Peter, a definite son of Dirck in Ledley's work, was baptized in the Pompton Church. His date was September 20, 1772. I am not sure if this was a birth date or a baptismal date. Sponsors were Pieter Jongh and Sara. This would help the notion that Catriena was born Jongh, later anglicized to Young.

Pieter, born September 20 [1772],
child of Dirk Vanderhof and Catriena.
Sponsors Pieter Johngh and Sara.
Baptisms at the Dutch Reformed Church in Pompton, New Jersey.

Remember that my in-depth look at the Vanderhoofs was undertaken to confirm the parentage of my fourth great grandmother, Elizabeth Vanderhoof (1799-1878), wife of Stephen H Cook (1797-1853). 

On December 24, 1795, in the Dutch Reformed Church in Pompton, Peter Vanderhoof married Judie Smith. (Judie is a rare name for this time period. Maybe it derives from the biblical name Judith.)

Peter Vanderhoof and Judie Smith married December 24, 1795.
Marriages at the Dutch Reformed Church in Pompton, New Jersey.

In this same Pompton church in 1797 Peter Vanderhoff and Jude Smith baptized Elisabeth, born February 9.

Elisabeth, born February 9 [1797],
child of Peter Vanderhoff and Jude Smith.
Baptisms at the Dutch Reformed Church in Pompton, New Jersey.

In her book Vanderhoof (1991), Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson (1921-2018) mentioned Peter and Judy and their two daughters, Elizabeth and Ann. Ann was born about 1815 (died 1894) and married Jacob Decker (1810-1882). There is no further information provided about Elizabeth.

Excerpt from Hickerson's book about Vanderhoofs

When listing the probable children of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler, Hickerson listed Elizabeth with a birthdate of August 26, 1799. Hickerson did not even speculate if Elizabeth, wife of Stephen Cook, could have been a daughter of Peter Vanderhoof and Judith Smith instead of a daughter of Jacob and Ann.

Hickerson's writing about Elizabeth, wife of Stephen Cook,
and their children

Further Research:

Where were the children of Jacob and Ann baptized? These records could provide precise birthdates and the names of their parents.

What became of Elizabeth, the daughter born in 1797 to Peter Vanderhoof and Judith Smith?

Mary Vanderhoof 1801-1853 and Mary VanFleet

Was Mary Vanderhoof (1801-1853) a daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841) of Morris County, New Jersey?

Yes, according to her gravestone and a published genealogy.

Below is a picture of Mary's gravestone, located behind her parents, in the DeMouth Burial ground in Denville.

Gravestone of Mary Vanderhoof, died August 31, 1853.
DeMouth Burial Ground is located on private residential property.
Please be mindful if visiting.

The inscription is difficult to read today. It appears to be:

Mary

Daughter of

Jacob Vanderhoof

Died Aug 31, 1853

Aged 52 years

In her book Vanderhoof (1991), Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson identified Mary as the third child born to Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler.

Page of Freeman's book about Mary Vanderhoof.
Housed at the Denville Historical Society

Other than this gravestone and the mention of this gravestone in Ms Hickerson's book, there is no other proof that Mary Vanderhoof existed.

No death record was found for Mary Vanderhoof in the New Jersey ledger books covering 1853, in spite of the precise date on her stone.

Mary remains unidentified in the 1850 census. Both her parents were deceased by this time, so she would have appeared in her own household or in the household of a sibling or other relative.

Mary VanFleet

Ms Hickerson raised three questions after the short blurb about Mary Vanderhoof's gravestone. The issue concerned the surname VanFleet, arising from Jacob Vanderhoof's estate.

Jacob died intestate in 1847. His debts exceeded his assets. There was no money to to distribute to his immediate relatives, which would have provided a listing of his children and/or grandchildren.

Jacob's assets were listed and tallied in 1848. The final line of his assets was "Money collected of Mary Vanfleet 3.00." Below is the image of the accounting that Ms Hickerson wrote about.

Accounting of Jacob Vanderhoof, died 1847 in Morris County.
"Money collected of Mary Vanfleet 3.00"

Who was Mary Vanfleet and what was her relation to Jacob Vanderhoof? No information about this Mary VanFleet is provided in Jacob's estate papers, such as her age, residence, or husband, if any. 

VanFleet had various alternate spellings, such as VanVleet, VanFliet, VanVliet. Also the "Van" could be removed, resulting in more variations.

There was no shortage of people named Mary VanFleet in the 1840s living near Jacob Vanderhoof.

Below is the image of the marriage record referenced by Ms Hickerson. On September 16, 1826 Mary Vanderhoof married William VanVliet "both of the township of Pequanack." True to most of the marriage records for Morris County, New Jersey in this time period, the names of parents and ages are not provided.

"Rockaway 16 Sept AD 1826
I certify that on this Day I married Mr William
Van Vliet to Miss Mary Vanderhoof both of the township
of Pequanack in the County of Morris & State of New Jersey.
Barnabas King Minister of the Gospel."
New Jersey. Morris County. Marriages Book C.
Viewable online at FamilySearch

Was Mary Vanderhoof, wife of William VanVliet, related to Jacob Vanderhoof? We cannot tell from these records alone.

The third record Ms Hickerson mentioned was the 1850 census. In the household of Elijah Vanderhoof was Jacob Vliet, age 15. Below is that image from Pequannock.

1850 United States Federal Census: Pequanac, Morris County, New Jersey.
Elijah Vanderhoof, age 24, farmer.
Amanda, age 21.
Alison, age 8 months.
James VanDuyne, age 24, labourer.
Elijah, age 20, labourer.
Jacob Vliet, age 15.

The head of this household, Elijah Vanderhoof, was a grandson of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. His parents were Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer. How was Jacob Vliet related? We do not know with the limited information offered in the 1850 census.

Who were the VanFleets?

On the same page of the 1840 census for Pequannock are the households of William Vanfleet, Stephen H Cook (husband of Elizabeth Vanderhoof), and Jacob Vanderhoff. Age ranges for males and females in the households are ticked, but that is as detailed as a census prior to 1850 will offer.

1840 United States Federal Census
Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey

Household of William VanFleet: 7 people in the household. Oldest male between 40-49. Four males below age 15. Oldest female between 30-39. Other female 10-14. Did this household contain Mary Vanderhoof as the matriarch? We cannot tell from the 1840 census.

Some Death Records and Few Details

William VanFleet died November 6, 1853 "near Stan Hope." He was 61 years old. His parents names were Peter and Sarah. He was born in Somerset County.

New Jersey. Marriages and Deaths Morris County Volume Z 1848-1867.
William Vanfleet died November 6, 1853.

Mary VanFleet died June 9, 1851 in Morris Township. She was 61 years old. The names of her parents were not given.

New Jersey. Marriages and Deaths Morris County Volume Z 1848-1867.
Mary VanFleet died June 9, 1851.

We do not know if this death record is for the same Mary VanFleet mentioned in the estate papers of Jacob Vanderhoof in 1847.

We do not know if this Mary VanFleet was born a Vanderhoof.

We do not know if this Mary VanFleet was married to William VanFleet.

Conclusions

We should accept Mary Vanderhoof, died 1853 and buried near Jacob Vanderhoof, as his daughter. The only proof is their relationship inscribed on her stone, but this is more than most of his theorized children.

Jacob probably did not give the name "Mary" to two daughters who both survived. Mary Vanderhoof, wife of William VanVliet, could have been a sister or cousin.

The Mary VanFleet who paid $3.00 to the estate of Jacob Vanderhoof may or may not have been a Vanderhoof. We simply do not know within this context how, if at all, Mary and Jacob were related.